College Planning Guide

Getting out of the classroom and into your field

Elise Nicol, 4/20/2010

At Ithaca, you'll be strongly encouraged to get out of the classroom and into your field through internships, fieldwork, or clinical experiences, many of which earn academic credit. You'll also have ample opportunity to road test your skills on campus in our extensive facilities. Here are just a few examples of what you might do:

Perform at regional or national conferences or at major performance venues -- including Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall.

Explore the world of high finance in our trading room (equipped with a real-time stock ticker) or intern at organizations such as Bausch & Lomb, Merrill Lynch, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and the World Bank.

Travel to Alaska to provide free tax-prep help to rural, low-income families.

Intern at a major television network like ABC or MTV, a newspaper such as the New York Times, a popular magazine like National Geographic, or a movie studio like Miramax.

Fine-tune your skills in one of our on-campus clinics or participate in fieldwork with one of nearly 1,000 health-care facilities nationwide.

Score internships with NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB teams and organizations such as the New York City health department, the YES Network, and CBS Sports.

Intern for the British House of Commons or work as an assistant for Senator Hillary Clinton.

Test your teaching skills at Frederick Douglass Academy in New York City.

Assist biology and physics professors on research expeditions to such destinations as Ecuador and the Arctic.

Put your art history knowledge to the test in the archives of London's Tate Gallery.

Best of all, Ithaca's office of Career Services can help you find and land the perfect internship opportunity. See their website for complete details.

Why do an internship or fieldwork?

Gain hands-on experience and test the skills you're developing in the classroom. The words "experience required" show up on many job listings, and with an internship or fieldwork on your résumé, you'll be one step ahead of the competition. An internship can also provide you with valuable contacts in your field for finding a job after graduation.

Test the job market in your field of choice. Internships provide the perfect opportunity to talk with company employees about their jobs and ask them for career advice. It can also help you confirm whether a certain field or position is the right fit for you.

Get into grad school. Graduate school admissions officers often look for relevant work experience when evaluating a student's application.

Get credit or cash. Some internships count for academic credit. When considering colleges, review the course catalog, and talk with faculty to find out what for-credit opportunities may exist for your major. Some internships even pay interns a modest salary or a stipend to cover expenses.